2025-04-05

Computer Forensic Services

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM07 mins
  • Computer Forensic Services CY4OR
    CY4OR is a global computer forensics firm providing extensive knowledge and expertise in digital evidence. At CY4OR, we provide a leading edge service combined with a wealth of experience in conducting investigations on a broad range of digital media.
    www.cy4or.co.uk
  • Guidance Software, Inc.
    Makers of EnCase, a modern forensic data acquisition and analysis software for the law enforcement community. Computer forensic training available worldwide.
    www.guidancesoftware.com
  • Flashback Data
    Offers expert data recovery and computer forensic services for hard disks, tapes, and other media.
    www.flashbackdata.com
  • Renew Data Corp.
    Specializes in data recovery and computer forensics, as well as conversions.
    www.renewdata.com
  • Kessler International
    International corporate investigations, forensic accounting, brand protection and computer forensics.
    www.investigation.com
  • Sensei Enterprises, Inc.
    Legal technology and computer forensics firm offers expert witnesses.
    www.senseient.com
  • DataBank
    Emergency services for all types of computer operating systems, disks, tapes, and other media. Also provides electronic forensic investigations.
    www.databankservices.com
  • Fields Associates
    Provides computer forensics, expert witness testimonies, and data recovery.
    www.fieldsassociates.co.uk
  • Computer Forensics Inc.
    Provider of electronic discovery services and risk control programs.
    www.forensics.com
  • Digital Intelligence, Inc.
    Offers forensics hardware and software for law enforcement investigation.
    www.digitalintelligence.com
  • ISFCE Certified Computer Examiner
    Certification offered by Key Computer Services and the Southeast Cybercrime Institute at Kennesaw State University.
    www.certified-computer-examiner.com
  • CBL Data Recovery Technologies
    Offers data recovery services for all media types and operating systems. Also offers specialized forensic services for legal proceedings.
    www.cbltech.ca
  • CyberEvidence
    Provides computer forensics services, including digital data incident response, investigation, and consultation.
    www.cyberevidence.com
  • Burgess Forensics
    Providing computer forensics, electronic discovery, and expert witness services including recovery of deleted and hidden files, images, emails, passwords, and Internet history.
    www.burgessforensics.com
  • Intellisec
    Intellisec is an independent and privately owned company dedicated to conducting forensic investigation for over 1000 organizations in 49 countries.
    www.intellisec.com
  • OnlineSecurity.com
    Provides computer forensics, network security, investigations, and litigation support.
    www.onlinesecurity.com
  • Berryhill Computer Forensics
    Provides computer forensics services to law enforcement agencies, attorneys, private investigators, corporations, and small businesses.
    www.computerforensics.com
  • Computer Forensic Training Center Online
    Worldwide self paced computer examination training that teaches sound methodology to forensically examine computer media. CEU credits are available through Kennesaw State University. Georgia and partial tuition payment is available through the GI Bill.
    www.cftco.com
  • Center for Computer Forensics
    Provides electronic evidence recovery, expert witness testimony, and litigation support services.
    www.computer-forensics.net
  • Key Computer Service
    Certified forensic computer examinations and investigations, pasword unlocking, and data recovery.
    www.keycomputer.net
  • Electronic Forensics Investigations, LLC
    Provider of computer and cell phone forensics and data recovery services.
    www.efinvestigations.com
  • EvidentData, Inc.
    Provides computer forensics and network investigation services, including consulting and training.
    www.evidentdata.com
  • Federal Forensics Group
    Specializing in computer forensics and providing court approved litigation support and testimony relating to digital evidence.
    www.fedforensics.com
  • Computer Data Forensics
    Data recovery, computer forensics, and data erasure services from Computer Data Forensics. Serves attorneys, individuals, businesses, corporations, and law enforcement clients.
    www.computerdataforensics.com
  • Data Discovery Computer Forensics
    Forensic computer examination, electronic discovery, and data recovery for the legal community, corporations, small business, and law enforcement.
    www.edatadiscovery.com
  • Morochove & Associates
    Provides computer forensics investigation, expert witness services, and consulting assistance to the legal and business communities.
    www.computerforensic.ca
  • Cyberlab Computer Forensics
    Offers forensic computer examinations and investigations, data recovery, password unlocking, and digital discovery for law firms.
    www.ccforensic.com
  • Digital Forensics Canada
    Offers computer investigations using forensic methods and tools.
    www.digitalforensics.ca
  • End Of File
    Offers data forensics, mobile data forensics, security audits, password recovery, computer forensics, and telephony services.
    www.endoffile.co.uk
  • Computer Forensics New Zealand
    Includes virus repair, disk wiping, and paralegal services.
    www.data-recovery.co.nz
  • Eco Data Recovery: Computer Forensics
    Eco Data Recovery performs computer forensic investigations for the recovery of deleted hard drive files.
    www.ecodatarecovery.com/forensic.html

To add your Computer Forensics Services Link here, please link back to us first and then contact us!

<a href=”https://www.datarecoveryunion.com/computer-forensic-services/”>Computer Forensic Services</a>

Read More

Glossary of Samsung Hard Disk Drive (Letter A)

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM03 mins

Acoustic Noise
The level of sound the drive produces while operating, the smaller the number,the better

Access
The level of sound the drive produces while operating, the smaller the number,the better

Access time
Access time measures the time lapsed between the access command and the point in time where the head is positioned to read or write a specific sector (address), measured in milliseconds (ms). (The access time for HDDs is a combination of seek time, controller overhead, and rotational latency, i.e. time taken for desired sector to rotate under head for access)

Actuator
The mechanism that moves the head(s) to the correct cylinder. It generally comprises of two parts; a rotary voice coil and head gimble assembly. The actuator arm houses the head at the tip of its arm

Address
Assigning certain areas of a disk to particular data

Areal Density
Bit density; Bits per Inch (BPI) x Tracks per Inch (TPI). This reflects how dense the data is stored on the media of the HDD

ATA-3
Fast ATA (E-IDE), PIO Mode 4, S.M.A.R.T., Simple password, more sophisticated power management

Atapi
ATA packet interface, a communications protocol which allows the electronic controllers for IDE hard disk drives to handle up to four devices, including CD-ROMs and tape drives and tape drive, Atapi devices plug into the IDE Interface

Ultra-ATA
Merge of ATA-3 and Atapi into one, Strong command overlap

Ultra-ATA
A new, even higher performance Ultra DMA (transfer rate of 66 MB/s)

AV
Audio Visual. AV drives denotes drivers modified to enhance transfer rate performance for specific applications

Average Latency
The average amount of time it takes for the drive to rotate to the correct address, so that the head can begin reading or writing in its desired location (is derived from the spindle speed)

AVI
Audio video interleaved. A standard system, form Microsoft, for integrating sound and vision for Windows into a single file for hard disk or CD-ROM

Average Seek Time
The average time for a head to seek the address, calculated over a large number of random seeks

Read More

Samsung Solid State Drives Overview

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM03 mins

Samsung Solid State Drives A solid-state drive(SSD) is a data storage device that uses solid-state memory to store persistent data. SSDs are distinguished from traditional hard disk drives (HDDs), which are electromechanical devices containing spinning disks and movable read/write heads. SSDs, in contrast, use microchips and data is retained in non-volatile memory chips and contain no moving parts. Compared to traditional HDDs, SSDs are typically less susceptible to physical shock, quieter, and have lower access time and latency. SSDs use the same interface as hard disk drives, thus easily replacing them in most applications.

With faster boot-up time, file searches, app start-ups, and less downtime and power usage, you’ll know why Solid State Drives are the best choice, and where hard drives got their name.

Top 10 reasons why to choice Solid State Drives:

  • Speed Up Your Boot-Up
  • Zip through File Searches
  • Trim File Transfer Time by Almost a Third
  • Start Applications in Seconds
  • Double File-Compilation Power
  • Cut Downtime by Half
  • Reduce Power Consumption
  • Master Multitasking
  • Cut Video-Editing Time
  • Take it Anywhere

Samsung Solid State Drives Overview:

64GB Solid State Drive – 470 Series
MZ-5PA064
$139.99

Specifications
2.5″ Form Factor/Serial ATA/64GB Capacity
Up to 170MB/s Write Speed/Up to 250MB/s Read Speed

128GB Solid State Drive – 470 Series
MZ-5PA128
$279.99

Specifications
2.5″ Form Factor/Serial ATA/128GB Capacity
Up to 220MB/s Write Speed/Up to 250MB/s Read Speed

256GB Solid State Drive – 470 Series
MZ-5PA256
$549.99

Specifications
2.5″ Form Factor/Serial ATA/256GB Capacity
Up to 220MB/s Write Speed/Up to 250MB/s Read Speed

Read More

Backup Software: Symantec Norton Ghost 15.0

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM05 mins

Backup Software: Symantec Norton Ghost 15.0 Norton Ghost 15.0 protects your applications, settings, folders, files and everything else on your PC with professional grade backup and recovery. So you can quickly restore your PC and recover lost or damaged files.

Key Benefits:

  • Creates full system and file backups — Safeguards your system, settings, applications, and files with flexible, comprehensive backup protection.
  • Restores from system failures — Recovers your system and data even when you can’t restart your computer.
  • Enables convenient, secure offsite backups — Saves recovery points to an FTP site for easier offsite management and even backs up your data to network-attached storage devices.
  • Backs up on schedules and events — Lets you decide what is backed up and when so you can customize backups based on how you use your computer.

Features:

  • NEW! Cold Imaging lets you back up files without installing Ghost.
  • NEW! Blu-ray Disc allows you to back up large amounts of data to high-capacity Blu-ray Disc — up to 25 GB per disc (50 GB dual-layer).
  • NEW! Windows® 7 support including support for Bitlocker™ provides enhanced data protection through drive encryption and integrity checking.
  • NEW! Symantec ThreatCon integration leverages intelligence from Symantec’s industry-leading security research organization to automatically backup files whenever ThreatCon reaches a specified threat level.
  • Full system (disk image) backup lets you easily backup everything on a hard drive or partition.
  • File and folder backup lets you back up only the files and folders you choose, rather than backing up and entire disk.
  • File backup search finds and backs up only the types of files you choose, such as photos, MP3 files, and documents.
  • Incremental backup copies only files that have changed for fewer, faster backups.
  • Customizable, event-based backup triggers backups based on key events, such as when you install a new program or when there are sudden increases in data storage.
  • Offsite backup copies recovery points to a FTP site for easier offsite backup management.
  • NAS backup gives you the option of backing up your files to network-attached storage devices.
  • Advanced compression automatically compresses files so you can store more files in less space.
  • Advanced encryption helps keep your sensitive documents safe from prying eyes.
  • System protection lets you easily restore your system, applications and files even when you can’t restart the operating system.
  • Google Desktop™ integration makes data recovery even faster with searchable backup indexes.
  • LightsOut Restore lets you quickly restore your system without needing a bootable CD.
  • Remote management lets you remotely control other Norton Ghost installations (12.0 and higher) on your local area network.
  • Scheduled P2V allows you to automatically create a virtual disk from your most recent backup.
  • Version support lets you restore older disk images made with Ghost 10, 12 and 14.
  • Multiple storage options let you back up to almost any media, including Blu-ray Disc®, CDR/RW and DVD+-R/RW drives, USB and FireWire® (IEEE 1394) devices, network drives, and Iomega® Zip® and Jaz® drives.

Operating system: Windows XP/Vista/7

Price: $69.99

Read More

General Data-Loss Prevention Tips

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM014 mins

data-loss The cost of a data loss event is directly related to the value of the data and the length of time that it is needed, but unavailable. Consider:

  • The cost of continuing without the data
  • The cost of recreating the data
  • The cost of notifying users in the event of a compromise

General Data-Loss Prevention Tips

Software and Hardware

  • Document your systems and archive original copies of your software in a safe place.
  • Backup your files on a regular basis, then test and verify that your backup is a complete copy of the original. External drives are an excellent choice for this task.
  • Never upgrade software or hardware without a complete, verified backup available in case you need to restore data.
  • If you are using Microsoft Windows XP, establish System Restore Points before making any significant changes to your system.
  • Write a contingency plan and practice restoring your data in case of problems. Your contingency plan should require, as a minimum:
    • Locating all available backups, including dates and types of backup.
    • Listing and locating all original software packages, detailing updates since the original installation.
    • Locating and making ready an alternate computer.
  • Deploy firewalls and virus protection.
  • Delete unused files and applications. Use a disc defragmenter, which is a program that is usually part of the operating system utilities.

Environment

  1. Ensure proper environmental conditions (stable temperature, humidity and cleanliness) and proper handling to avoid static discharge and accidental dropping.
  2. Physically secure systems from intruders.
  3. Prepare for physical disasters, including use of off-site storage for backup.

The following sections describe types of data recovery and supported formats and manufacturers. RAID data recovery, digital photo recovery, and VMWare workstation data loss are covered in separate articles under “Related Links.”

Laptop Data Recovery

As they are often carried about and exposed to different environmental factors such as heat, water and dust, laptop and notebook computers are far more likely to experience data loss than their office desktop counterparts. Their portability makes these sophisticated and essential in-the-field devices prime candidates for data loss.

Mechanical and electrical failure, software corruption and human error all play a role in data loss. Here are some of the most often noted data loss symptoms and data accessibility problems:

  • Dropped notebook – no longer turns on
  • Inaccessible drives and partitions
  • Applications that are unable to run or load data
  • Corrupted data
  • Virus attacks
  • Hard disk component failure
  • Hard disk crashes
  • Damage due to fire or liquids
  • Media surface contamination and damage
  • Accidental reformatting of partitions
  • Accidental deletion of data

Laptop Disk Drives Supported
You may not know this, but the hard disk drive embedded in your laptop is not necessarily by the same manufacturer as the laptop. Seagate Recovery Services recovers data from all notebook and laptop brands, models and interfaces – that is, from all types of hard disk drives from all manufacturers including Western Digital, Seagate, Toshiba, Fujitsu, Hitachi and Samsung.

Database Recovery

Mission-critical data is often stored in SQL Server, Oracle, Sybase, Exchange Server, Access and other databases that are maintained on networked fileservers. Relational and object-oriented database management technologies are fundamental to modern IT systems, often underpinning the lifeblood applications run by the entire corporation.

Individual media in database servers suffer from the same failure points as disk drives in personal computers and workstations. Experienced system administrators and database administrators know that a relational or object-oriented database environment is fragile unless supported by a comprehensive and well-tested backup plan.

Unfortunately, it is all too common for devices to become corrupt beyond the scope of routine recovery methods:

  • Backup files not recognizable by database engine
  • Database locked as ‘suspect’ preventing access
  • Deleted or dropped tables
  • Accidentally deleted records
  • Corrupted database files and devices
  • Damaged individual data pages
  • Accidentally overwritten database files and devices

Seagate Recovery Services specializes in making inaccessible data accessible again, recovering data from the most complex database configurations.

Database Types Supported

  • Microsoft SQL Server 6.5, 7.0, 2000, 2005, 2008
  • Oracle Lite, 8.x & 9.x, 10x, 11x
  • Sybase SQL Server
  • Sybase SQL Anywhere
  • Interbase
  • MySQL
  • PostgreSQL Standard Databases
  • Microsoft Access

SRS can also make inaccessible data accessible again for all xbase products such as dBase, FoxPro Productivity Applications Microsoft Office (including all versions of Word, Excel and Powerpoint Mail Server and Client Applications), Microsoft Exchange and Outlook Applications, and email systems conforming to the UNIX mbox format, such as Eudora and Netscape.

Server Data Recovery

Fileservers, application servers, mail servers, web servers, NAS devices and custom-built servers form the backbone of corporations’ business records storage systems. Windows servers–the most popular operating systems for servers today–along with Apple OSX, Solaris, HPUX, IAX, and Linux servers, form a significant portion of servers in businesses.

Naturally, the individual media in servers suffer from the same failure points as do drives in personal computers and workstations. However, the increased complexity of many server operating systems results in additional data loss situations:

  • Server registry configuration lost
  • Intermittent drive failure resulting in configuration corruption
  • Multiple drive failure
  • Accidental replacement of media components

Because servers are often utilized for mission-critical operations, customers need to get their data back quickly and securely. SRS services includes options for on-site data recovery, critical 24/7 options, as well as remote data recovery and special options.

Operating Systems and Platforms Supported
SRS technicians are trained on platform-specific configurations, enabling us to recover data from server hardware spanning the most popular brands, such as IBM, Dell, Hewlett-Packard, Sun and others, including:

  • Intel-based platforms for UNIX Operating systems including
    • Solaris, Linux with ext 2,3,4, xfs, reiserfs & jfs filesystems on standalone & RAID volumes in LVM (Logic Volume Management) configuration or without it
    • BSD-based systems such as FreeBSD, OpenBSD and NetBSD, BSDI
    • Apple Mac OSX
    • Legacy OS like QNX, SCO OpenServer, Xenix, UnixWare, LynxOS and so on
  • Intel-based platforms for Non-Unix Operating systems including:
    • Windows NT, 2000, 2003, 2008 servers
  • UNIX and non-UNIX Platforms such as
    • Solaris on Sun/SPARC equipment, with ufs and Veritas VxFS .zfs filesystems
    • HPUX on Hewlett-Packard workstations with hfs and Veritas
    • VxFS file systems on standalone
    • IRIX on SGI workstations with efs and xfs filesystems
    • Legacy VMS & OpenVMS running on Compaq & DEC equipment using ODS file systems
    • AIX on IBM RS/6000 with jfs file systems on LVM volumes

Tape Data Recovery

Server and personal-computer tape backup systems utilizing mm DAT, Travan, Exabyte 8mm, LTO and the various QIC formats are popular and necessary to safeguard your data. However, when these tapes fail, the situation is normally catastrophic, as these tapes were often the only remaining repository of the data. Quite often customers may no longer posses original tape hardware or software to restore from legacy environments.

Fire, smoke, water and even dropping the tape cartridge may damage the media, resulting in data loss. Internal mechanism failure and exposure to extreme temperatures, as well as logical read/write errors on a tape’s file may also result in data loss. Due to the nature of the tape solution, they are designed to withstand time to store archives. Some media if stored incorrectly or stored longer than the life span of the media may degrade causing data loss.

Here are some typical causes of tape failure:

  • Tape drive failure has corrupted tape headers
  • Tape media stretched or snapped
  • Fire & water damage Media surface contamination and damage
  • Accidental reformatting or erasure of tape
  • Accidental overwriting of headers
  • Tape backup software corruption
  • Media degradation due to the age or improper storage
  • Legacy tapes where tape drive or software no longer available

Formats and Manufacturers Supported
Popular backup software–such as EMC, Networker, CA BrightStore (ArcServe) plus the UNIX tar and cpio utilities (and many more)–all use different internal formats. SRS programmers are expertly trained to understand and extract data any type of tape media, regardless of format. SRS recovers data from these tape media formats and manufacturers, among others:

  • DLT III, DLT IV, DLT-1, VS80, VS160 and Super DLT tape
  • LTO 1, 2 , 3, 4, 5
  • 4mm DAT format DDS, DDS-2, DDS-3 and DDS- DAT-72, DAT-160, DAT-320
  • Exabyte 8mm 112m and 160m tapes & Mammoth 1 (Exabyte 8900), Mammoth 2
  • Sony IT and AIT-2, AIT-3 AIT-4, AIT-5 and SAIT
  • Travan TR-1, TR-3, TR-4 and TR-5 tapes
  • QIC tapes
  • QIC Mini-Cartridges
  • Tandberg SLR tapes
  • ADR and ADR2 tapes
  • 9 track 800/1600/6250 bpi
  • Next track
  • IBM 3480/3490/3592 tapes

Tape Backup and File Formats

  • Microsoft Tape Format (MTF) applications such as NT Backup and Symantec (Seagate/Veritas), BackupExec for Window, Backup Exec for NetWare
  • System Independent Data Format (SIDF) applications such as Novell’s Sbackup and Palindrome’s Backup Director
  • IBM Tivoli TSM
  • Computer Associates, Brightstore (Arcserve)
  • Previos/Stac Replica Backup for NT, NetWare
  • EMC (Legato) NetWorker (all platforms)
  • Symantec (Veritas) NetBackup, unix tar, cpio, fbackup, fsdump and ufsdump archives
  • Compaq/DEC VMS Backup
  • Commvault Galaxy/Simpana

For more information, please go to Seagate Recovery Services

Read More

Partition Record Technical Details

DATARECOVERYUNION.COM03 mins

Different operating systems have different Partition Type bytes. The most common DOS partition type is 6h, which is used for Primary DOS partitions greater than 32 Mbytes.

Here is a list of known (and suspected) partition type bytes:

  • 00 Not Occupied
  • 01 DOS, Primary Partition (12-bit FAT, <16MB)
  • 02 XENIX root
  • 03 XENIX usr
  • 04 DOS, Primary Partition (16-bit FAT, >=16MB and <32MB)
  • 05 DOS, Extended Partition
  • 06 DOS, Primary Partition (16-bit FAT, >32MB)
  • 07 OS/2 HPFS, Win NTFS, QNX ver 2, or Adv UNIX
  • 08 AIX – boot
  • 09 AIX – data, Coherent
  • 0A OS/2 BtMgr
  • 0B PRI DOS 512 Mbytes – 2 Tbytes FAT32 Win95, OSR2 & 98
  • 0C EXT DOS 512 Mbytes – 2 Tbytes FAT32 Win95, OSR2 & 98
  • 0E PRI DOS 32 Mbytes-2 Gbytes FAT16 Windows 95 & 98
  • 0F EXT DOS 0-2 Gbytes Windows 95 & 98
  • 10 OPUS
  • 12 Compaq diagnostics partition
  • 40 VENIX 80286
  • 50 DiscWizard Starter Edition read only DOS partition
  • 51 DiscWizard Starter Edition read/write DOS partition
  • 52 CPM, Microport System V/386
  • 54 DiscWizard Starter Edition non-DOS partition
  • 55 Micro House EZ-Drive ® non-DOS partition
  • 56 Golden Bow Vfeature partition
  • 61 Storage Dimensions SpeedStor partition
  • 63 UNIX – AT&T System V/386
  • 64 Novell NetWare 286
  • 65 Novell NetWare 386
  • 75 PC/IX IBM
  • 77 QNX POSIX partition
  • 78 QNX POSIX partition (secondary)
  • 79 QNX POSIX partition (secondary)
  • 80 Minix (v1.4a and earlier)
  • 81 Minix (v1.4b and later), Linux
  • 82 Linux swap partition
  • 83 Linux native file system
  • 93 Amoeba file system
  • 94 Amoeba bad block table?
  • DB Digital Research CPM-86, Concurrent DOS
  • E1 SpeedStor 12-bit FAT extended partition
  • E3 DOS read-only
  • E4 SpeedStor 16-bit FAT extended partition
  • F2 2nd DOS partition, some OEM customized DOS
  • F4 SpeedStor, large partitions
  • FE Lan Step, SpeedStor (partitions over 1024 cyl?)
  • FF UNIX bad block table partition

Related link: SCSI Sense Key Chart

Read More